Excerpts from the Charles Muller Translation of the Analects from http://www.human.toyogakuen-u.ac.jp/~acmuller/contao/analects.htm

Most accessed 4/11/02 and 8/18/02 ; unless otherwise noted.  I have selected sayings and arranged them according to categories we will discuss in class.  There is also one saying included from Muller's translation of the Doctrine of the Mean also available on his site.  Muller's translations are part of his site which is entitled  "Resources for the Study of East Asian Language and Thought "

2:4 Confucius said: "At fifteen my heart was set on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I had no more doubts; at fifty I knew the mandate of heaven; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing the norm."

7:1 Confucius said: "I am a transmitter, rather than an original thinker. I trust and enjoy the teachings of the ancients. In my heart I compare myself to old P'eng."

7:2 Confucius said: "Keeping silent and thinking; studying without satiety, teaching others without weariness: these things come natural to me."

7:3 Confucius said: "Having virtue and not cultivating it; studying and not sifting; hearing what is just and not following; not being able to change wrongdoing: these are the things that make me uncomfortable."

7:15 Confucius said: "I can live with coarse rice to eat, water for drink and my arm as a pillow and still be happy. Wealth and honors that one possesses in the midst of injustice are like floating clouds."

7:18 The Duke of Sheh asked Tzu Lu about Confucius. Tzu Lu didn't answer him. The Teacher said, "Why didn't you just tell him that I am a man who in eagerness for study forgets to eat, in his enjoyment of it, forgets his problems and who is unaware of old age setting in?"

9:15 Confucius said: "When out in the world, I served my ruler and ministers. At home I served my father and elder brothers. I never dared to take funerals lightly and I didn't get into trouble with alcohol. What problems could I possibly have?"

19:23 Shu-sun Wu-shu, addressing the major officers of his court, said: "Tzu Kung is superior to Confucius."

Tzu-fu Ching-po told this to Tzu Kung, who commented, "Let me use a simile of a castle and its wall. My wall is only shoulder high, which you may look over and see the desirables that lie inside. My Master's wall is several tens of feet high and if you can't find the door and enter by it, you will not see the beauty of its ancestral temple, nor the splendor of its hundred officers. Those who find the door are few indeed. Are not my Master's words even more difficult to grasp?"

19:24 Tzu Kung, having heard about Shu-sun Wu-shu's disparagement of Confucius, said, "It is ridiculous talking this way. Confucius cannot be slandered. The virtue of other men is like a small hill, which can be climbed over. Confucius is like the sun and the moon. There is no way they can be climbed over. Even if you want to cut yourself off from the sun and moon, how can you hurt them? It is easy to see that Wu-shu does not know value."

1:2 Yu Tzu said: "There are few who have developed themselves filially and fraternally who enjoy offending their superiors. Those who do not enjoy offending superiors are never troublemakers. The Superior Man concerns himself with the fundamentals. Once the fundamentals are established, the proper way (tao) appears. Are not filial piety and obedience to elders fundamental to the enactment of jen?"

[Comment by Muller] The Chinese term jen has been translated into English as "humanity," "benevolence," "goodness," "Perfect Goodness," etc. It is a difficult concept to translate because it doesn't really refer to any specific type of virtue or positive endowment, but refers to an inner capacity possessed by all human beings to do good, as human beings should. This is the reason some have translated it as "humanity." The problem with this translation is that it does not indicate the "goodness" implied by the term jen. In the Chinese "essence-function" perception, jen can be understood as the essence of all kinds of manifestations of virtuosity: wisdom, filial piety, reverence, courtesy, love, sincerity, etc., all of which are aspects, or functions of jen. Through one's efforts at practicing at the function of jen, one may enhance and develop one's jen, until one may be called a Superior Man, or even better, a "Person of jen." In the Analects, "person of jen" is an extremely high state, rarely acknowledged of any human being by Confucius.

6:28 Tzu Kung asked: "Suppose there were a ruler who benefitted the people far and wide and was capable of bringing salvation to the multitude, what would you think of him? Might he be called jen?"

The Master said, "Why only jen? He would undoubtedly be a sage. Even Yao and Shun would have had to strive to achieve this. Now the jen man, wishing himself to be established, sees that others are established, and, wishing himself to be successful, sees that others are successful. To be able to take one's own feelings as a guide may be called the art of jen."

7:29 Confucius said: "Is jen far away? If I aspire for jen it is right here!"

12:2 Chung Kung asked about the meaning of jen. The Master said: "Go out of your home as if you were receiving an important guest. Employ the people as if you were assisting at a great ceremony. What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others. Live in your town without stirring up resentments, and live in your household without stirring up resentments." Chung Kung said, "Although I am not so smart, I will apply myself to this teaching."

12:22 Fan Chih asked about the meaning of jen. Confucius said "love others." He asked about the meaning of "knowledge." The Master said, "Know others." Fan Chih couldn't get it. The Master said, "If you put the honest in positions of power and discard the dishonest, you will force the dishonest to become honest."

15:8 Confucius said: "The determined shih and the man of jen will not save their lives if it requires damaging their jen. They will even sacrifice themselves to consummate their jen."

17:6 Tzu Chang asked Confucius about jen. Confucius said, "If you can practice these five things with all the people, you can be called jen."

Tzu Chang asked what they were.

Confucius said, "Courtesy, generosity, honesty, persistence, and kindness. If you are courteous, you will not be disrespected; if you are generous, you will gain everything. If you are honest, people will rely on you. If you are persistent you will get results. If you are kind, you can employ people."

5:11 Tzu Kung said: "What I don't want done to me, I don't want to do to others." Confucius said, "Tz'u, you have not yet gotten to this level."

6:28 Tzu Kung asked: "Suppose there were a ruler who benefitted the people far and wide and was capable of bringing salvation to the multitude, what would you think of him? Might he be called jen?" The Master said, "Why only jen? He would undoubtedly be a sage. Even Yao and Shun would have had to strive to achieve this. Now the jen man, wishing himself to be established, sees that others are established, and, wishing himself to be successful, sees that others are successful. To be able to take one's own feelings as a guide may be called the art of jen."

12:2 Chung Kung asked about the meaning of jen. The Master said: "Go out of your home as if you were receiving an important guest. Employ the people as if you were assisting at a great ceremony. What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others. Live in your town without stirring up resentments, and live in your household without stirring up resentments." Chung Kung said, "Although I am not so smart, I will apply myself to this teaching."

15:23 Tzu Kung asked: "Is there a single concept that we can take as a guide for the actions of our whole life?" Confucius said, "What about 'fairness'? What you don't like done to yourself, don't do to others."

14:36 Someone said: "What do you think of the saying: 'Repay harm with virtue'?" Confucius replied, "Then how will you repay virtue? Repay harm with Righteousness and repay virtue with virtue."

1:12 Yu Tzu said: "In the actual practice of propriety, flexibility is important. This is what the ancient kings did so well--both the greater and the lesser used flexibility. Yet you should be aware: If you understand flexibility and use it, but don't structure yourself with propriety, things won't go well."

[Comment {by Muller}] Propriety is the English rendition of the Chinese li. This is a word that also has a wide spectrum of meaning in Classical Chinese thought, and is difficult to translate by a single word. Its most basic meaning is that of "ritual" or "ceremony," referring to all sorts of rituals that permeated early East Asian society. The most significant of course, would be wedding ceremonies and funerals. But there were also various agricultural rituals, coming-of-age rituals, coronations, etc. Confucius was an expert on the proper handling of all sorts of rituals.

The term li however, has, in the Analects, a much broader meaning than ritual, since it can also refer to the many smaller "ritualized" behavior patterns involved in day-to-day human interactions. This would include proper speech and body language according to status, age, sex--thus, "manners." In this sense, li means any action proper, or appropriate to the situation. For instance, in the modern context, I might go up and slap my friend on the back. But I certainly wouldn't to that to my professor, or to a student in my class whom I don't know very well.

In the Analects, li, as a general category, is clearly defined in a relationship with jen, where jen is the inner, substantial goodness of the human being, and li is the functioning of jen in the manifest world. That is to say, li is Righteousness, filial piety, fraternal respect, familial affection, etc.]

3:3 Confucius said: "If a man has no jen what can his propriety be like? If a man has no jen what can his music be like?"

3:4 Lin Fang asked about the fundamentals of ritual. Confucius said, "What an excellent question! In ritual, it is better to be frugal than extravagant; in funerals deep sorrow is better than ease."

3:26 Confucius said: "Men of high office who are narrow-minded; propriety without respect and funerals without grief: how can I bear to look at such things?!"

8:2 Confucius said: "Courtesy without propriety is wasted energy. Caution without propriety is timidity. Boldness without propriety is recklessness. Straightforwardness without propriety is rudeness. When the ruler is kind to those who are close to him, the people will be moved toward jen. If he does not forget his old friends, the people too, will not be fickle."

8:8 Confucius said: "Be aroused by poetry; structure yourself with propriety, refine yourself with music."

12:1 Yen Yuan asked about the meaning of jen. The Master said, "To completely overcome selfishness and keep to propriety is jen. If for a full day you can overcome selfishness and keep to propriety, everyone in the world will return to jen. Does jen come from oneself, or from others?"

Sayings from the Muller translation of the Analects (http://www.human.toyogakuen-u.ac.jp/~acmuller/contao/analects.htm) accessed 4-19-01 and 4/11/02

1:2 Yu Tzu said: "There are few who have developed themselves filially and fraternally who enjoy offending their superiors. Those who do not enjoy offending superiors are never troublemakers. The Superior Man concerns himself with the fundamentals. Once the fundamentals are established, the proper way (tao) appears. Are not filial piety and obedience to elders fundamental to the enactment of jen?"

1:6 Confucius said: "A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should be earnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with jen. After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can study literature and the arts."

1:11 Confucius said: "When your father is alive, observe his will. When your father is dead observe his former actions. If, for three years you do not change from the ways of your father, you can be called a 'real son (hsiao).'"

[Comment {from Muller}] In terms of the development of the character of the human being, the most fundamental practice is that of "filial piety," the English translation of the Chinese hsiao, which means to love, respect and take care of one's parents. Confucius believed that if people cultivated this innate tendency well, all other natural forms of human goodness would be positively affected by it.]

2:5 Meng I Tzu asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "It means 'not diverging (from your parents).'"" Later, when Fan Chih was driving him, Confucius told Fan Chih, "Meng Sun asked me about the meaning of filial piety, and I told him 'not diverging.'" Fan Chih said, "What did you mean by that?" Confucius said, "When your parents are alive, serve them with propriety; when they die, bury them with propriety, and then worship them with propriety."

2:7 Tzu Lu asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "Nowadays filial piety means being able to feed your parents. But everyone does this for even horses and dogs. Without respect, what's the difference?"

2:8 Tzu Hsia asked about filial piety. Confucius said, "What is important is the expression you show in your face. You should not understand 'filial' to mean merely the young doing physical tasks for their parents, or giving them food and wine when it is available."

4:18 Confucius said: "When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while. But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them. Work without complaining."

4:19 Confucius said: "While your parents are alive, it is better not to travel far away. If you do travel, you should have a precise destination."

4:20 Confucius said: "If, for three years (after your father's death) you don't alter his ways of doing things, you can certainly be called 'filial.'"

13:18 The Duke of Sheh told Confucius: "In my land, there are Righteous men. If a father steals a sheep, the son will testify against him."

Confucius said, "The Righteous men in my land are different from this. The father conceals the wrongs of his son, and the son conceals the wrongs of his father. This is Righteousness!"

A longer saying from the Muller trans. Doctrine of the Mean http://www.human.toyogakuen-u.ac.jp/~acmuller/contao/docofmean.htm 15 Nov. 2000):

13. Confucius said: The Tao is not something separate from man. If you practice a Tao that is apart from man, this cannot be the Tao. The Book of Odes says:

Carving axe handles

One after another

They differ little from the original sample

Taking one to carve another.

When you compare them,

There are still differences.

Therefore the Superior Man treats people as human beings, and once they have corrected themselves, he lets them be. Being sincere and fair to all, though this is different from the Tao, it is not far from it. This means "not doing to others what you don't want done to yourself." There are four general ways that this can be characterized, one of which I[1] have been able to fully practice:

(1) Treating my father as I expect my son to treat me.

(2) Treating my ruler as I expect my ministers to treat me.

(3) Treating my older brothers as I expect my younger brothers to treat me.

(4) Treating my friends as I expect my friends to treat me.

In the putting into practice of virtue or the taking care of speech, if there is somewhere where I am deficient, I certainly endeavor further. If there is excess, I do not dare to merely expend it. His words reflecting his actions, his actions reflecting his words--how can this Superior Man not be sincere through and through?

:1 Confucius said: "Isn't it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn't it also great when friends visit from distant places? If people do not recognize me and it doesn't bother me, am I not a Superior Man?"

[Comment {by Muller} Superior Man is a common English translation for the Chinese term chun-tzu which originally means "Son of a Prince"--thus, someone from the nobility. In the Analects, Confucius imbues the term with a special meaning. Though sometimes used strictly in its original sense, it also refers to a person who has made significant progress in the Way (Tao) of self-cultivation, by practicing Righteousness, by loving treatment of parents, respect for elders, honesty with friends, etc. Though the chun-tzu is clearly a highly advanced human being, he is still distinguished from the category of sage (sheng-jen), who is, in the Analects more of a "divine being," usually a model from great antiquity. The character of the Superior Man, in contrast to the sage, is being taught as a tangible model for all in the here and now. And although many descriptions of the requirements for chun-tzu status seem quite out of our reach, there are many passages where Confucius labels a contemporary, or one of his disciples a "Superior Man," intending a complement. Thus, the categorization is not so rigid. One might want to compare the term "Superior Man" to the Buddhist bodhisattva, in that both are the models for the tradition, both indicate a very high stage of human development as technical terms, yet both may be used colloquially to refer to a "really good person."]

1:8 Confucius said: "If the Superior Man is not 'heavy,' then he will not inspire awe in others. If he is not learned, then he will not be on firm ground. He takes loyalty and good faith to be of primary importance, and has no friends who are not of equal (moral) caliber. When he makes a mistake, he doesn't hesitate to correct it."

[Comment {by Muller}] The Superior Man still makes mistakes. The difference between him and other people is that he rectifies his errors as soon as he becomes aware of them.]

1:14 Confucius said: "When the Superior Man eats he does not try to stuff himself; at rest he does not seek perfect comfort; he is diligent in his work and careful in speech. He avails himself to people of the Tao and thereby corrects himself. This is the kind of person of whom you can say, 'he loves learning.'"

2:12 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is not a utensil."

[Comment {by Muller}] The Superior Man is not a technician, to be used by others to do a single job. On another level, his mind is not narrowly oriented by a specific task. The chm¼n-tzu thinks broadly and does not limit himself quickly into a certain world-view, and cannot easily be used as a cog in someone else's machine.]

2:13 Tzu Kung asked about the character of the Superior Man. Confucius said, "First he practices what he preaches and then he follows it."

4:5 Confucius said, "Riches and honors are what all men desire. But if they cannot be attained in accordance with the Tao they should not be kept. Poverty and low status are what all men hate. But if they cannot avoided in while staying in accordance with the Tao, you should not avoid them. If a Superior Man departs from jen, how can he be worthy of that name? A Superior Man never leaves jen for even the time of a single meal. In moments of haste he acts according to it. In times of difficulty or confusion he acts according to it."

4:10 Confucius said: "When the Superior Man deals with the world he is not prejudiced for or against anything. He does what is Right."

4:11 Confucius said: "The Superior Man cares about virtue; the inferior man cares about material things. The Superior Man seeks discipline; the inferior man seeks favors."

4:16 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage."

5:15 Confucius said that Tzu Chan had four characteristics of the Superior Man: In his private conduct he was courteous; in serving superiors he was respectful, in providing for the people he was kind; in dealing with the people he was just.

6:16 Confucius said: "If raw substance dominates refinement, you will be coarse. If refinement dominates raw substance, you will be clerical. When refinement and raw qualities are well blended, you will be a Superior Man."

6:24 Tsai Wo asked: "If you tell a jen man that there is jen at the bottom of the well, will he climb into it?"

Confucius said, "Are you kidding? The Superior Man will go to the well but not fall into it. He can be deceived, but not to the point of serious loss!"

12:16 Confucius said: "The Superior Man develops people's good points, not their bad points. The inferior man does the opposite."

12:24 Tseng Tzu said: "The Superior Man uses his refinement to meet his friends, and through his friends develops his jen."

13:25 Confucius said: "The reason that the Superior Man is easy to work for, but difficult to please, is because if you try to please him by devious means, he will not be happy. And in his employment of people, he gives them work according to their ability. The inferior man is difficult to work for, but easy to please. Even if you have used devious means to please him, he will still be happy. And in his employment of people, he tries to squeeze everything out of them that he can."

13:26 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is self-confident without being arrogant. The inferior man is arrogant and lacks self-confidence."

14:28 Tseng Tzu said: "The Superior Man doesn't worry about those things which are outside of his control."

15:17 Confucius said: "The Superior Man takes Righteousness as the essence. He actualizes it through propriety, demonstrates it in humility, develops it by truthfulness. This is the Superior Man!"

15:18 Confucius said: "The Superior Man suffers from his own lack of ability, not from lack of recognition."

15:19 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is concerned about the kind of reputation he will have after he passes away."

15:20 Confucius said: "The Superior Man seeks within himself. The inferior man seeks within others."

15:21 Confucius said: "The Superior Man strives but does not wrangle. He has friends, but doesn't belong to a clique."

15:22 Confucius said: "The Superior Man does not promote a man because of his words, and does not disregard the words because of the man."

16:7 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is on guard against three things:

(1) When he is a young man and his physical energies are not yet settled, he is on guard against lust.

(2) When he is mature and his physical energy is solid, he is on guard against being drawn into a fight.

(3) When he is old, and his physical power is weakened, he is on guard not to cling to his attainments."

16:8 Confucius said: "The Superior Man stands in awe of three things:

(1) He is in awe of the decree of Heaven.

(2) He is in awe of great men.

(3) He is in awe of the words of the sages.

The inferior man does not know the decree of Heaven; takes great men lightly and laughs at the words of the sages."

16:10 Confucius said: "There are nine patterns which are awarenesses of the Superior Man. In seeing, he is aware of clarity; in listening, he is aware of sharpness; in faces, is aware of warmth; with behavior he is aware of courtesy; in speech, sincerity; in service, reverence. In doubt, he is inclined to question; when angry, he is aware of the inherent difficulties. When he sees an opportunity for gain, he thinks of what would be Righteous."

17:23 Tzu Lu said: "Does the Superior Man esteem bravery?"

Confucius said, "The Superior Man puts Righteousness first. If the Superior Man is brave without Righteousness, he will be rebellious. If the inferior man is brave without Righteousness, he will become an outlaw."

17:24 Tzu Kung asked, "Does the Superior Man also have things that he hates?"

Confucius said, "He does. He hates those who advertise the faults of others. He hates those who abide in lowliness and slander the great. He hates those who are bold without propriety. He hates those who are convinced of their own perfection, and closed off to anything else. How about you, what do you hate?"

Tzu Kung said, "I hate those who take a little bit of clarity as wisdom; I hate those who take disobedience as courage; I hate those who take disclosing people's weak points to be straightforwardness."

1:13 Tzu Yu said: "When your own trustworthiness is close to Righteousness, your words can be followed. When your show of respect is according to propriety, you will be far from shame and disgrace. If you have genuine affection within your family, you can become an ancestor."

[Comment {by Muller}] Righteousness with a capital "R" is my rendering of the Chinese i, which has also commonly been translated as righteousness. Although not quite as essential a concept as jen, it is a strongly internalized human capacity. Being attuned to Righteousness allows people to do the proper thing in the proper situation, to give each person, place and thing its proper due.

1:15 Tzu Kung asked: "What do you think of a poor man who doesn't grovel or a rich man who isn't proud?" Confucius said, "They are good, but not as good as a poor man who is satisfied and a rich man who loves propriety." Tzu Kung said, "The Book of Odes says:

Like cutting and filing,

Grinding and polishing

[{Muller comment} This simile for the process of self-perfection is found often in Confucian texts.]

Is this what you are talking about?"

Confucius said, "Ah, now I can begin to discuss the Book of Odes with Tz'u. I give him a hint and he gets the whole point."

4:17 Confucius said: "When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points."

13:22 Confucius said: "The Southerners have a saying: 'If a man is not constant in his self-cultivation, he cannot be a shaman or a healer.' It is a good proverb. If you are not consistently developing your virtue, what can you give to others? You will not even be able to give a diagnosis."

14:45 Tzu Lu asked about the qualities of the Superior Man. Confucius said, "He cultivates himself by comforting others."

"Is that all?"

"He cultivates himself by comforting everyone. Now, this is something that even Yao and Shun found difficult."